Was Mirage an attempt to get back into the Rumours groove?

[Christopher]

"Mirage" is FM's most pop sounding record ever! It's safe, non-offending, an easy listen, and has a little retro 50's vibe going on throughout. It's good, but mostly forgettable sans a few classic songs. So no, I do not think it was a direct attempt to recapture Rumours per say, inasmuch as just trying to recapture an audience & record label that had grown uncomfortable with their "Tusk" direction.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by BaronVonBielski

They wanted Rumours II and they got Tusk. So this was an album made more mainstream at that time...you wanted it Warner... here you go.

And when promoting Tango, Lindsey said that he didn't want the band to end on the Mirage note. It obviously left a bad taste in his mouth.

Michele

[elle]

Originally Posted by michelej1

And when promoting Tango, Lindsey said that he didn't want the band to end on the Mirage note. It obviously left a bad taste in his mouth.

Michele

and somebody pointed out that Mirage is the only album, solo or mac, that he didn't do at least one song from at Saban.

[shackin'up]

Originally Posted by elle

and somebody pointed out that Mirage is the only album, solo or mac, that he didn't do at least one song from at Saban.

Hmmm, what did he play from SYW????

[elle]

Originally Posted by shackin'up

Hmmm, what did he play from SYW????

good point - nothing?!

i was thinking that at least one from each album except Mirage sounded correct... but you are right! guess i always count SYW as just a part of GOS1 - and now when i think of it - he didn't do anything from GOS1 at all either!!!?!! he better corrects that in the fall during the tour...

he used to do Come during GOS tour... did he do something from Mirage then?

[MacShadowsBall]

Originally Posted by Christopher

"Mirage" is FM's most pop sounding record ever! It's safe, non-offending, an easy listen, and has a little retro 50's vibe going on throughout. It's good, but mostly forgettable sans a few classic songs. So no, I do not think it was a direct attempt to recapture Rumours per say, inasmuch as just trying to recapture an audience & record label that had grown uncomfortable with their "Tusk" direction.

Where's that "Like" button at around here?

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by cbBen

Keith Olsen would never have let the band into the studio with the set of songs they had when the the tape began rolling on Mirage.

If the idea was to get back to what made Rumours work, they lost sight of the most important thing: material.

I don't think the problem is with the songs themselves, but the approach to them. Beyond Christine's four contributions, Stevie's Gypsy, and Lindsey's Eyes of the World, all the other performances are a bit indulgent (Lindsey) or uninspired (Stevie). But the mid-70s demo of "That's Alright" is WAYYYY better than the Mirage version. "Straight Back" could have really been something with a more imaginative arrangement.

And then there are those Lindsey outtakes (Goodbye Angel and Teen Beat) that are superior (as performances and as songs) to most of his Mirage tracks.

[sjpdg]

Originally Posted by chiliD

Well, Out Of The Cradle DID work in a Fleetwood Mac context, only 5 years BEFORE it came out, under the name of Tango In The Night...the overall production of both albums are nearly the same, plus Lindsey's songs on Tango are pretty much interchangeable with similar sounding songs off of Out Of The Cradle.

Big Love > Doing What I Can
You & I, Part 2 > Soul Drifter
etc.

So true, so true, so true.

[jbrownsjr]

I love Mirage and it's quirky little Everly Brothers/Beach Boys/50's influences. I think it's as close to a Buckingham/McVie album as you can get. I love the harmonies and backing vocals. The voices on this album are incredible. The Stevie tunes are excellent as well. I think Christine is everywhere on this album from the keyboards/synths to her vocal work on Straight Back. I think Lindsey did some extra keyboard work, which I always guessed to be the jingle on Can't go Back.

I don't think it sounds anything like Rumours, and honestly Gypsy and Hold Me were really stand out as far as pop songs. I believe Hold Me was released first and I remember thinking... Who is singing that tune it's incredible. Of course when I realized it was FM, I got excited for the album release just as I did Tusk. I was fascinated by the videos (back then we did not get to see their faces whenever we felt like it) there was a lot more mystery as to whom these people were. The Gypsy video was incredible at the time (still is). It (the video) just added to the sort of haunting mystery that was FM. And there was no youtube.. so you had to watch MTV for hours just to see it.

Mirage wasn't toured very much, so it did fall fast but it was a great 3-4 months for FM because they were plastered everywhere from HBO to MTV and the airwaves...

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

I love Mirage and it's quirky little Everly Brothers/Beach Boys/50's influences.

I don't think it sounds anything like Rumours, and honestly Gypsy and Hold Me were really stand out as far as pop songs. I believe Hold Me was released first and I remember thinking... Who is singing that tune it's incredible. Of course when I realized it was FM, I got excited for the album release just as I did Tusk.

I was fascinated by the videos (back then we did not get to see their faces whenever we felt like it) there was a lot more mystery as to whom these people were. The Gypsy video was incredible at the time (still is). It (the video) just added to the sort of haunting mystery that was FM. And there was no youtube.. so you had to watch MTV for hours just to see it.

Mirage wasn't toured very much, so it did fall fast but it was a great 3-4 months for FM because they were plastered everywhere from HBO to MTV and the airwaves...

I love Mirage, too, and I'll never understand why it doesn't get much respect.

Hold Me was released first. I'll NEVER forget the first time I heard it, riding in the back of my friend's Honda Civic. Halfway through it, I realized who it was, and excited beyond belief! (I still have friends from high school, who contact me once in a while, and say, "I heard a FM song today, of course it made me think of you!")

~god I hate dating myself~ I used to go eat lunch everyday, and a video game arcade, because they showed MTV on a huge projection wall. I'm getting goosebumps now, thinking about how excited I was, when Hold Me, or Gypsy, came on!

Wasn't the Mirage Tour only 18 shows(plus the US Festival?)?

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

I love Mirage, too, and I'll never understand why it doesn't get much respect.

Hold Me was released first. I'll NEVER forget the first time I heard it, riding in the back of my friend's Honda Civic. Halfway through it, I realized who it was, and excited beyond belief! (I still have friends from high school, who contact me once in a while, and say, "I heard a FM song today, of course it made me think of you!")

~god I hate dating myself~ I used to go eat lunch everyday, and a video game arcade, because they showed MTV on a huge projection wall. I'm getting goosebumps now, thinking about how excited I was, when Hold Me, or Gypsy, came on!

Wasn't the Mirage Tour only 18 shows(plus the US Festival?)?

David and Chili know that answer.. they didn't come to Cleveland anyway, i think Mirage is a work of art.. i really do...

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

Wasn't the Mirage Tour only 18 shows(plus the US Festival?)?

Yeah, that's what Mick says in his book.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

I love Mirage, too, and I'll never understand why it doesn't get much respect.

Hold Me was released first. I'll NEVER forget the first time I heard it, riding in the back of my friend's Honda Civic. Halfway through it, I realized who it was, and excited beyond belief!

I actually agree with what you and Jbrownsjr are saying: there is so much that I love about the record. But notice we're all bringing up the same tunes? None of us, for instance, are singing the praises of Empire State, Straight Back and That's Alright...

This seemed like the first Mac album in years with filler on it. And it didn't have to be.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

I actually agree with what you and Jbrownsjr are saying: there is so much that I love about the record. But notice we're all bringing up the same tunes? None of us, for instance, are singing the praises of Empire State, Straight Back and That's Alright...

This seemed like the first Mac album in years with filler on it. And it didn't have to be.

You're right I fail to bring up all the tunes..

I do love them all I swear!

Love In Store (great little open)
Can't Go Back (so catchy) love Lindsey's jingles
Book of Love (powerful and getting more intense)
That's Allright (love how all three of them are on this)
Gypsy (the backing vocals, guitars, keyboards.. oh so fine)
Only Over You (great build up.. awesome Lindsey solo)
Empire State (more jingles more Law and Order Leftovers lol)
Straight Back (love it, awesome textures and tones)
Hold Me (simply brilliant!! and great melody lines)
Oh Diane (took years to grow on me, the video is ridiculously funny)
Eye, Eyes Eyes (so damn good.. and it has Pachelbel's Canon in there)
Wish You Were Here (classic pristine, majestic closer love the piano)

[MacShadowsBall]

With Mirage basically Hold Me and Gypsy were the only hits. According to wikipedia's FM discography page, Hold Me hit #4 in the US while Gypsy hit #12. Oh Diane did hit #9 in the UK, but wasn't a US single.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleetwood_Mac_discography